Challenging Religious Privilege

Expert panel to examine abortion law in Ireland

Posted: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:55

Pro-choice groups in Ireland have expressed hopes that a new expert committee set up by the Government will recommend that the laws on abortion will be relaxed.

The Government has appointed the panel to examine a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights that the Irish State had failed to implement existing rights to a lawful abortion albeit only where a mother's life is at risk.

It is due to report back to the Government with a range of options within the next six months.

While it is lawful in Ireland for a woman to have an abortion if her life is at risk, following a Supreme Court ruling almost 20 years ago known as the X case, the Government has yet to legislate for this. This failure to legislate was at the centre of a case taken by three women against the State, which the European Court of Human Rights ruled on in December 2010. The court found in favour of one of the women – known only as "C" – who had a rare form of cancer. She feared she would relapse after she became unintentionally pregnant.